Saturday, February 23, 2008

2008 Middle East Spelling Bee Final Words: QUAGMIRE & IMPEACHMENTPoetic Torch Scorches NeoCon Agenda~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~What Americans think, feel, vote, and say has zero bite.With millions of votes Diebolt stolen, accountability - so slight.NeoRadical RepubliCons chose how to so waste our might ---Just where, when, and why we had to go START a fight.They'd planned for Iraq, with 30 years more oil still in sight.Must control the price and flow into OUR gas tanks, right?Exxon-Mobil, BP, Shell - profits future sure looks bright!Hyped bogus threats, then fanned the flames to such great height.9/11, Anthrax, then the mushroom cloud type of fright.

Pulled the Towers, and with balled-up flags to plug their ears:A Patriot Act panic attack => waived our rights to calm the fears.How well a shredded Constitution wiped away our wasted tears.Slick magic trick: lasted 800 years - now Habeas Corpus disappears.Load the planes with C-notes, no bids please, as toxic dust clears;Corporate warriors - No Draft! It's a private war - Three Cheers!Fat cats, still fed by exce$$ greed, now six straight years.Ten billion fraud, whistleblowers stalled in Justice: no one hears.Say what, a change of plan to end war profits? Sharpen up the spears!Another traitor to be skewered, trot out the NeoCon-tradicting seers.From Limpbowel, O’Rlie-to-me, and their ilk, we start to hear the jeers.Interrupting homophobic rants on "No Marriages for queers",To deliver freshly think-tank-framed simplistic scripted smears.

Sad sight, so many flags draped over coffins never seen.The sinister lies that filled them burried deep beneath such patriotic sheen.Human losses well disguised, and media filtered from our collective eyes,By corporate puppet leaders, whose agendas we must now despise.

Long past his “Mission Accomplished” day in years now more than four,One so delusional Decider is still not looking for an exit door.An occupation, one aggressor means it never was a war!The stench, the smell - corruption, failures everywhere,Yet all we hear is that which plays upon our deepest fear.A drone of platitudes preached to stretch our stay another year.

“The job is almost done! ““Must keep them Terrorists on the run!”“We can't abandon Iraq until we've won.”“Another 30,000 surge, send us your brave sons.”“ Trillion dollar debts, their kids can pay these no small sums!”"Waterboarding works. Don't call it torture. You're just chums!"NO NO NO! Time true Patriots stand and shout “Impeach these Bums!”

Lean hard on traitors, like Lieberman, to not just lose their parties,But to find our Republic again, while we still have one!Target the REAL Axis of Evil => IMPEACH Cheney-Bush!Perhaps small justice, but at least some!

I remember the commercial from childhood, "It's not nice to fool Mother Nature". I can't remember what product they were hawking but I remember the saying. What is our country up to? Are chem trails poisoning us or are they harmless smoke? Is there such a thing as harmless smoke? I just have too many questions. Once you start caring, it gets overwhelming. Like Neo taking the pill in The Matrix, I begin to see how far the rabbit hole goes. I am still falling.

Also, what about the genetically modified meat, fruits and vegetables? It's enough to want to become a farmer and grow your own food, feed your own cattle, after all, that's what my parents did when I was little and before I was born. In New Hampshire, we had a small farm with pigs, a cow, chickens, ducks and a big vegetable garden. Here are some guidelines for buying fruits and veggies at the supermarket:

The PLU codes on fruit and vegetables contain fournumbers (i.e. 4859), if it's organic, 5 numbers starting with a 9 (i.e. 94859).But! if you see 5 numbers starting with an 8, (i.e. 84859),that means the fruit/vegetable is GMO, a genetically modified organism.

So, there I was, in front of the Navy recruiting office. I chose the Navy because I knew their boot camp was not as rough at the other branches of the armed services and also because I knew the Navy rarely saw on the ground combat. I began discussing with the recruiter what I wanted. I had not taken the ASVAB in high school because at the time, I never dreamed I would enter the military.

Within a two weeks' time, I had taken the ASVAB, chosen my vocation (based on where I wanted to go rather that what I would like to do) and was shipped off to boot camp. At the time I was just within the weight guidelines and made the height requirements because the recruiter lied and said I was 5' tall. In actuality, although I never admit it, I am 4'11 3/4". I did well on the ASVAB so I had my choice of careers and should have picked something better suited to me. I wanted to go to San Diego so I chose a training school there, Interior Communications Electrician. There was a problem, I was terrified of getting shocked. Not a good vocation for someone with that phobia.

At 22, I arrived in Orlando, Florida on an early January morning, as the second oldest in my squad. I044, that was us. If I never mentioned this, I was always a good girl and my parents rarely had to yell at me. Well in there, everyone yelled at me. Being the emotional girl I am, I cried every day of boot camp. With the exception of the day we got to shoot guns, that day I shot 29 out of 30 targets. Pretty good for never picking up a gun before. Must have been all the training at Duck Hunt on the Atari.

I made it through, lost a lot of weight and 5 inches around my waist. Looking back, my boot camp memories are a blur of pushups, running, shots and the gas chamber. Of carrying a flag, marching and writing letters. Of men yelling, rude awakenings and friendship. I was in a integrated squad. My bunkmate was a man. Although at night we (the women) went next door to sleep while their men slept in our room. Everyone there seemed to know exactly why they were there and what they wanted to do. I couldn't wait for it to be over so I could go to San Diego.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

This pretty well captures the drama of the day's event. The kid who yelled out "Bullshit!" was either already signed up with the Marines (he has his high and tight cut) or his big brother was over in Iraq. He was the only opposition voice. You can see him standing near Jason near the end of the video.

It was November of 1992 when I packed my '70 Ford van with all my belongings and moved to North Carolina with by soon-to-be-ex-boyfriend. Within a month of our arrival, we loaded all of his belongings in the same '74 van and delivered him to his brother in Georgia. Upon returning to North Carolina, I made a for naught attempt at finding a job and making a new life. Although I was surrounded with family, all my friends were back in Florida.

On New Years Eve, I was alone without any direction, driving around Asheville. I soon found myself outside the Navy recruiter's office with thoughts of college money on my mind. After all, I was on my own in I wanted to go to college. At 22, my parents would not and could not pay my tuition. My mother was retired and my father, who had not found a job in North Carolina yet, was on his way to a deep alcoholic depression.

So, there I was, outside the recruiter's office, contemplating the previously unthinkable. I was going to enlist.

Friday, February 8, 2008

Jonas arrived shortly before 9am at District Court 1. I arrived shortly after. Clare joined Jonas near the back of the court room. Another supporter and a reporter entered next. The woman bailiff was kinder than the one there at the previous court date. She asked everyone to put their cell phones on vibrate and then went around to make sure no one needed anything. The other lady told you to shut your phone off and didn't care if anyone had any questions.

After the defendants started making their pleas, two other people, there to support Jonas, walked in the court room. We all watched with pity as some mousy disabled man was handcuffed and forced to walk past the leering crowd twice. I'm not sure what his charge was, I could not hear very well in the back of the room. Next time I will sit closer. Clare, wanting to hear better, moved closer to the front.

Once again, Jonas' charge was the most ridiculous on the docket. Of course that is our opinion. I'm sure many others there thought their charge was ridiculous as well.

At after 10, his lawyer had not arrived yet. But when he walked in, his was the next case heard. At this point, the DA tells them that the officer (not sure if he was talking about Crisp, Riddle or both) called in sick. That's right, he (they?) called in sick to court. If Jonas had been sick, it would have been considered a "failure to appear". If a civilian plaintiff had done that, the case would have been dropped.

I question if they were truly sick, or if this is some sort of tactic.

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

I have finally calmed down. There was an action in the Highsmith building of UNCA today. I arrived to be a quiet observer and film the action. It happened a little after noon today and now, at a bit after 2pm, I have finally calmed down. Soldiers in camo and full gear stormed the student building across from the downstairs cafe. A handful of SDS students posed as Iraqis sitting in their home. As the soldiers swept the room, they screamed, "GET THE FUCK DOWN, DOWN ON THE GROUND NOW! MOVE! NOW! MOVE IT YOU STUPID BITCH!". A crowd started to gather, as it was lunchtime anyway. The Marine recruiters who had a table set up near by, acted like nothing was happening.

Sorry the pictures are kind of blurry. My hands were shaking pretty bad.

It should be in the Asheville Citizen-Times tomorrow and I will try to post the video when I get a copy.

Monday, February 4, 2008

I am puzzled as to whom I should support for president. The Republicans are out for me. They just argue over who supports the war more. As for the Democrats?......Clinton is owned by the corporate machine....Obama does not have enough experience. Besides, they just argue over who wants the troops home quicker which is contrary to what they said a few months ago about keeping forces there past 2012.As I write this, I am listening to Democracy Now! and she is speaking with Cynthia McKinney. She is running to be the Green party candidate. Check out the movie American Blackout. She is a very inspirational speaker and would bring the needed change to our country.But in the United States of America we only have a choice between a Republican or a Democrat, that's vanilla or vanilla bean. I like cookie dough. I want a choice. A REAL choice. Will they just "count" the votes in their favor anyway? As we have already seen in New Hampshire this year, the hand counted votes were for Obama and the computer counted ballots favored Clinton, so Clinton won.It has come to a time in America when our votes do not truly count. It only matters what the corporate entities want. Their vote is the vote the candidates work for. The debated prove it.

I think I'm going to turn Green. Kermit was right, it's not easy being green.